I think turning anarchism into a youth sub-culture based around the aesthetics of radicalism with no desire to catalyze radicalism in the masses, was one of the most dire strategic mistakes in the last 200 years and we are STILL trying to dig ourselves out of the rut caused by it. Anarchism as a lifestyle sub-culture was an overcorrection against rigid structuralism and growth for the sake of growth. The critiques were largely correct, but the solutions were a failure. The correct approach is popular education, struggle, and organic organizational growth. The result of lifestylism taking over was basically the demolition of anarchism as an effective praxis. It went from carrying out mass regional revolutions to doing weekend charity drives. It went from creating mass power for the people, to creating sparks in the pan.

As we slowly swing back in the direction of organizational anarchism, we need to take into account the critiques against rigid structuralism and destructive self-sacrifice. But after 60 years of treading water, we can know that anti-organizationalist methods were a dead end. All that anti-organizationalism and lifestylism led to were endless performative protests and insurrectionary posturing. They made no gains in dismantling hierarchy, established no lasting structures to maintain power for the people, and failed to even create a growing subculture.

Moreover lifestylism has little to nothing to offer people as they grow older, causing people to "age out." In this way, it actually preps people for deradicalization. Creaky bones don't want to go to another protest. Wearing punk clothes feels increasingly cheesy. For what even? As a result, as these types grow older, if they maintain their radicalism, they tend to disappear into the woods and create a little utopian commune with a couple of friends or integrate into some existing hierarchical structure to survive. The cycle is simply unsustainable.

The only thing that has ever shown sustained success in undermining hierarchical power is the construction of horizontal power structures. This is why, while anarchists have neglected this struggle for the last 60 years, groups like the Zapatistas have demonstrated real progress. It's time to recognize that the experiment of lifestylism has failed and return to what has actually worked for anarchism. The people are not the enemy. The solution is not ideological separatism. We must redevelop holistic interconnection and sincerity and revolutionary power